Aids in South Africa 'stabilising'
24 July 2006
The HIV/Aids infection rate among South Africans stood at 30.2% in 2005, largely unchanged from 2004 (29.5%), according to the Department of Health's latest National HIV and Syphilis Antenatal Sero-prevalence Survey.
Among South African teenagers, the HIV/Aids prevalence rate dropped marginally, from 16.1% in 2004 to 15.9% in 2005. South Africans in the 20 to early 30-year age group continued to have the highest infection rates.
The department conducts the survey annually among pregnant women attending antenatal care for the first time, to estimate HIV/Aids and syphilis prevalence in the country.
'Encouraging'
Releasing the survey on Friday, the department said in a statement that while the findings were "encouraging", a great deal of work still needed to be done to slow the rate of new infections in the country.
The total number of South Africans living with HIV/Aids is estimated at 5.54-million, according to the survey - including an estimated 235 000 children 14 years old or younger.
The national syphilis infection rate for 2005 stood at 2.7% of the population. "The overall trend over time shows that syphilis is less prevalent compared to 1997," the survey found.
A total of 16 510 women at 399 clinics participated in the latest survey. In order to estimate HIV/Aids and syphilis prevalence in the general population, the department applied the model of the UN Aids Programme and World Health Organisation to the survey findings.
The department said the annual survey had begun to show that intervention programmes which emphasised prevention played an important role in moderating HIV/Aids prevalence.
Source: BuaNews
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